Latest articles by Bill DeMain
David Bowie interview: the art and process of songwriting
David Bowie explains his creative process and reveals why time and place matter
The Bonnie Raitt albums you should definitely listen to, and one to avoid
Soul-stirring singer and guitarist Bonnie Raitt has carved her niche covering celebrated songwriters in blues, folk, R&B and rock
How Aerosmith made their first great chemically-fuelled masterpiece Toys In The Attic
Aerosmith were always destined for stardom – and Toys In The Attic was the album that finally got them there
How The Knack wrote My Sharona, the one hit wonder to end all one hit wonders
New Wave megahit My Sharona was The Knack’s sole claim to fame – but what a claim to fame
Nine albums by the Allman Brothers Band you should listen to... and one you should ignore
Celebrating the musical telepathy of the Allman Brothers Band
"I woke up three days later, in France, in this stupid castle, and I'm thinking: 'What just happened?'": How Stevie Nicks escaped the chaos of Fleetwood Mac and soared solo
In 1980 Stevie Nicks stepped out of Fleetwood Mac with a hit-laden debut solo album that showed she could fly just as high on her own
10 West Coast rock albums you really need to hear... and one to avoid
From surf guitars to psychedelia, peace to paranoia, the 60s sound of Los Angeles and San Francisco was bright and multicoloured
The epic story of Jimi Hendrix’s Axis: Bold As Love, the heart of the guitarist‘s Holy Trinity
The story of Axis: Bold Of Love, Hendrix’s “science fiction rock’n’roll” masterpiece
Fastball's Tony Scalzo is celebrating more than 30 years of "a certain degree of success"
Originally formed in the early 90s, Texan alt.rock band Fastball are back with album number nine
Record shopping with Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown
“When I toured with Jeff Beck I never missed a single soundcheck. I'd sit on the side of the stage, just soaking it in" - Tyler Bryant
Fito de la Parra looks back on 60 years of Canned Heat
Canned Heat drummer Fito de la Parra has survived changing trends, the deaths of all his original bandmates, and more than 40 personnel changes
The story of Les Paul, the man who invented modern music
Visionary, guitar wizard and inspiration, Les Paul invented the electric guitar and drew the blueprint for contemporary music as we know it
The albums produced by George Martin you should listen to but only one is by the Beatles
Legendary producer and 'fifth Beatle' George Martin combined an adventurous sense of musicality with suit-and-tie professionalism
Chris Spedding took up the guitar nearly seventy years ago and he's still in demand
Legendary sideman and session guitarist Chris Spedding on a "naughty" 70s, discovering the Sex Pistols and being an honorary Beatle
Walter Trout: The soundtrack of my life
Blues legend Walter Trout picks his records, artists and gigs of lasting significance
The Pete Townshend album that measures up to The Who's best work
A late-70s blitz of punk, personal problems and tragedy forced The Who’s Pete Townshend to reassess his life and career. One of the results was his solo masterpiece Empty Glass
Wolfgang Van Halen: The soundtrack of my life
Mammoth WVH guitarist/vocalist Wolfgang Van Halen picks his records, artists and gigs of lasting significance
The label that introduced Southern rock to the masses: The albums on Capricorn Records you should definitely own
The best albums from the Nashville label that brought together rock'n'roll and soul
"The bigger I got as a solo artist, the more we had to pay the Mob": Peter Frampton looks back over an extraordinary six-decade career
Peter Frampton has lived the rock life to its fullest, playing many parts – prodigy, teen idol, guitar hero, global superstar, forgotten man, comeback kid, survivor
“He's never done a band like us; he’s done a lot of heavy metal. But I thought the two could mix": How AC/DC's producer and synthesisers reinvented The Cars
By 1983 The Cars were stagnating, but Mutt Lange and a change of sound saw them heading to the top of the charts
"As I grew up, instead of wanting to marry Paul McCartney, I wanted to be him": How The Bangles wooed 1984 with their power-pop debut All Over The Place
A look back at four Beatles-crazed girls who jangled, spangled, and sang excellent harmonies
"It was a gift. It came from that mysterious place that lyrics sometimes come from": The Tom Petty reject that gave Don Henley the ultimate song of lost innocence
From an unwanted demo came Don Henley's Boys Of Summer, a song that aches with nostalgia and innocence
"Bella Donna had the formula for success: a singer from huge band, a top-notch producer, and a who's who of musicians": Bella Donna by Stevie Nicks
Featuring stellar duets with Tom Petty and Don Henley, Bella Donna established Stevie Nicks as a star in her own right, away from the Fleetwood Mac soap opera
"On the Space Oddity album we had no idea what we were doing. So we tried something different, something harder": the making of David Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World
In 1970 David Bowie was a one-hit wonder, but The Man Who Sold The World helped him recalibrate his sound and vision, setting him on a path to becoming a decade-defining artist
"There was this extra Dolly energy on there – and she's doing these wonderful ad libs, singing around me": Peter Frampton on Dolly Parton, Paul McCartney, and sitting down onstage
Having asked to play guitar on Dolly Parton's Rockstar album, Peter Frampton also ended up singing one of his own classics on it
